Leader of the House of Lords

Environment Protection: Policy

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask the Leader of the House what steps she is taking to facilitate parliamentary scrutiny of the draft Environmental Principles Statement.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: Section 18 of the Environment Act 2021 sets out the routes for parliamentary scrutiny of the draft Environmental Principles Policy Statement recently laid before Parliament by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This includes consideration by relevant Select Committees. The Chief Whip will work with the Usual Channels to schedule any business resulting from these routes in the usual way during the scrutiny period.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Horizon Europe

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current position regarding the UK’s membership of the Horizon Europe research programme and the ability of British scientists to join it.

Lord Callanan: I refer my noble Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central on 27 April 2022 to Question 156445.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have set the bar for immunity in the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill as only requiring a perpetrator to provide an account which is true to the best of their knowledge and belief.

Lord Caine: The test for immunity, as set out in the Bill, requires an individual to make an application to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) for immunity. The panel must then be satisfied that the individual has provided an account which is true to the best of their knowledge and belief, and which describes conduct which forms part of the Troubles. In forming a view on whether an individual’s account is true to the best of their knowledge and belief, the ICRIR must take into account any relevant information that it holds or obtains as part of that investigation. That could include information that the ICRIR obtains from witnesses or from disclosure of information from statutory agencies during the course of its investigation. Those who do not cooperate with the ICRIR will not be granted immunity, and will remain liable to prosecution should sufficient evidence exist, or come to light.

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government which crimes are eligible for the immunity process under the proposed provisions in the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.

Lord Caine: Only serious or connected Troubles-related offences that took place between 1 January 1966 and 10 April 1998 and are related to a death or serious injury will be eligible for immunity - conditional on cooperation with the Independent Commission as set out in legislation. Troubles-related offences that are not linked to a death or serious injury will not be investigated by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), and so will not be subject to immunity provisions. Any offences from between 1 January 1966 and 10 April 1998 which are not Troubles-related could still be investigated by PSNI, or GB police forces.

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill does not refer to investigations in addition to reviews.

Lord Caine: Investigations are a crucial part of the work of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). The ICRIR will, in statute, have the necessary powers to secure information and conduct thorough and robust investigations, including the power to compel witnesses and test forensic evidence. The legislation also places an obligation on authorities with information potentially relevant to an incident to provide full disclosure to the ICRIR. The ICRIR will have a Commissioner for Investigations, and the scope of the ICRIR’s investigative process will be an operational matter for the ICRIR, and will depend on the specific circumstances of each case, including whether there is an outstanding ECHR obligation and the wishes of the family or individual.

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not seek advice from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission regarding the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.

Lord Caine: The Northern Ireland Office held discussions on legacy with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on 14 April 2022. Discussions with the Commission, and other interested parties, will of course continue during passage of the Bill.

Platinum Jubilee 2022: Northern Ireland

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what events they are planning in Northern Ireland to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Lord Caine: The Northern Ireland Office shares with the rest of the United Kingdom in celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen and in thanking Her Majesty for 70 years of selfless devotion to duty and leadership of our whole nation. The Northern Ireland Office worked closely to deliver and collaborate on a range of exciting projects and events to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. We saw a range of events in Northern Ireland including the lighting of beacons, Jubilee Big Lunches as well as the return of the Northern Ireland annual Garden Party that acted as a moment of celebration in this Platinum Jubilee year for people in Northern Ireland.We also worked with a range of local organisations to develop a Jubilee hamper which showcased the best of Northern Irish produce and was sent to the Royal Household. We ran an exciting competition for young people to design a rug for Her Majesty and we also worked to profile the many organisations and individuals across Northern Ireland who have been honoured by Her Majesty in her last 70 years. In addition, the commemorative Jubilee book was distributed to Primary Schools across Northern Ireland. We wanted to make sure that the Jubilee brought communities together, celebrating the best of Northern Ireland.

Attorney General

Burglary: South West

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the conviction rate for burglaries in (1) Gloucestershire, (2) Somerset, (3) Devon, and (4) Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, over the next three years.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: Burglary is a terrible crime which can have a long-lasting impact on victims. The CPS is committed to bringing robust prosecutions against offenders who commit the offence of burglary and works with the police to ensure that the strongest possible evidence is put before the court. In 2020-21, the CPS prosecuted 8,703 cases of burglary with a conviction rate of 87.4%. CPS South West, which covers the above regions, had a conviction rate of 91.2%, which is above the national average.

Department for Education

Remote Education: Qualifications

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how academic qualifications are given online to students (1) internationally, and (2) in the UK.

Baroness Barran: The assessment of qualifications in England is managed differently depending on the sector.As autonomous institutions, higher education (HE) providers are responsible for determining the content of their courses and the manner in which they are taught, supervised, assessed and awarded including determining how online methods are used.All registered providers in England must meet all the Office for Students’ (OfS) revised registration conditions in relation to the quality and standards of HE, including on course design and delivery, and assessment and award, regardless of how or where teaching is delivered.The department has made its expectation clear to HE providers in England that all students should be receiving a comparable amount of face-to-face teaching as before the COVID-19 pandemic. While virtual learning is a fantastic innovation, we are clear that it should only be used to complement and enhance a student’s learning experience, not detract from it, nor should not it be used as a cost cutting exercise.In March 2022, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced he wanted to start carefully considering the potential opportunities greater digital assessment could bring in the qualifications regulated by Ofqual, the independent regulator of qualifications, examinations, and assessments in England.Ofqual published a report into online assessment in 2020, which included reviewing international examples and identified the key barriers to greater adoption of online and on-screen assessments in high stakes qualifications such as GSCEs and A Levels. Ofqual has also recently announced it will look at whether greater use of technology in qualifications could deliver benefits for students and apprentices in the long term. Ofqual has said it will undertake research into a number of areas as part of its new corporate plan.The department believes technology has the potential to deliver a range of benefits in the classroom and we plan to work closely with Ofqual as this early exploratory work is undertaken.

Education: Software and Video Games

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of interactive learning programmes, including computer games, using the Socratic dialogue.

Baroness Barran: The Education Endowment Fund's (EEF) metacognition and self-regulation guidance report includes 'Socratic talk' as a common teaching strategy. This can be accessed here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/metacognition-and-self-regulation. The EEF's teaching and learning toolkit highlights that for metacognition and self-regulation, "Studies that use digital technology, for example, intelligent tutoring systems that scaffold learning show particularly high impacts on pupil outcomes." This is based on the EEF's digital technology evidence review (2019), which can be accessed here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/digital-technology-2019. The department does not actively support or mandate individual digital products as we believe that it is up to schools and colleges to decide what technology they need to meet their requirements. Meta-analysis from the EEF shows that digital technologies have the best possible impact when embedded in good pedagogy. This can be accessed here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit.

Free School Meals

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toexpand the eligibility for free school meals.

Baroness Barran: The provision of free school meals (FSM) to children from out-of-work families or those on low incomes is of the utmost importance to this government. Under the benefits-related criteria, the department provides a free healthy meal to around 1.7 million children, ensuring they are well-nourished and can concentrate, learn and achieve in the classroom.Under this government, eligibility for FSM has been extended several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century, including the introduction of universal infant FSM, and further education FSM.The temporary extension of FSM eligibility to some groups with no recourse to public funds, that has been in place since 2020, was extended to all groups and made permanent, subject to income thresholds.The department will continue to keep all free school meal eligibility under review, to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them.

Languages: Classroom Assistants

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many classroom language assistants were placed in maintained schools in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made, if any, of how this compares to the numbers in independent schools.

Baroness Barran: The department continues to welcome talented individuals to teach or train to teach in the UK, including through the Language Assistants programme. UK schools can continue to benefit from the presence of a Modern Language Assistant (MLA) by applying through the official programme managed by the British Council on behalf of the department and devolved administrations. In the 2022/23 academic year, the department has seen a 29% increase in requests to host MLAs in the UK, from 506 to 653 MLAs supporting the teaching of languages in schools of all types across the country. The MLAs will come from 14 partner destinations worldwide. The British Council and the department recognise the importance and impact MLAs can have in both maintained and independent schools, and therefore encourage and welcome applications from all types of educational institutions. The British Council has introduced more flexibility to make the programme more affordable and appealing to schools, which includes flexible periods of appointment and offering schools in the UK the option to apply for shorter posts of under 6 months which reduces the overall cost. A UK-wide breakdown of the number of British Council MLAs in maintained and independent schools over the last five years is set out below:Academic YearMaintainedIndependentTotal2022/234462076532021/223711355062020/214531696222019/205171756922018/19648204852 (Data provided by British Council, correct as of 23 May 2022)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Council of Europe: Education

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the education programmes provided by the Council of Europe, particularly those of the Ocean group; what Council of Europe education programmes they consider the most useful; and what plans, if any, they have to support their deployment internationally.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: While we have not made a formal assessment of education programmes provided by the Ocean group, the Department for Education actively participates in the Council of Europe education programme through its seat on the Council of Europe Education Steering Committee. The Government aims to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe and to foster respect for other people and for difference. A high quality citizenship education provides a very effective pathway for schools to prepare pupils to play a full and active part in society. As with other areas of the curriculum, the Government does not prescribe how citizenship should be taught, but we expect schools to develop a curriculum that meets the need of their pupils, drawing on the expertise and support of subject associations and other organisations that produce and quality assure resources. This includes important content about human rights, the UK legal system and international law.

Afghanistan and Yemen; Development Aid

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK financial aid is being diverted from (1) Afghanistan, and (2) Yemen, because of the conflict in Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: No UK financial aid is being diverted from Afghanistan or Yemen because of the conflict in Ukraine. We doubled our assistance for Afghanistan for 2021/2022 to £286 million. The full amount was disbursed for life-saving humanitarian support, including for emergency food, health, nutrition, shelter, water and sanitation, and de-mining. In Yemen, the UK has played a leading role in responding to the humanitarian crisis, committing over £1 billion in aid since the conflict began. We will spend at least £88 million in UK aid over the course of this financial year.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Civil Proceedings

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many legacy civil suits that the Ministry of Defence was subject to, relating to the Northern Ireland Troubles, are currently active before the courts; how many were concluded in the last three year period; what amounts were paid to applicants overall; and what were the legal costs to the Ministry for (1) its own fees, and (2) those of the litigants.

Baroness Goldie: There are currently 575 legacy civil claims against the Ministry of Defence (MOD) relating to the Northern Ireland Troubles which are active before the court. 43 claims have concluded in the last three-year period of which 29 claims resulted in financial settlement by the MOD. A claim is recorded by the MOD as settled when both the damages to the claimant and associated legal costs have been agreed and paid. Total damages paid by the MOD in this period were £632,000. The total plaintiffs' legal costs paid were £586,861. MOD's own legal costs were £212,042.The other 14 claims which concluded in the three-year period were discontinued or resolved by other means.

Department for Work and Pensions

Food Banks

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many food banks (1) are operating in England, and (2) were set up in each year since 2010; and what assessment they have made of the factors which led to food banks being established.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: No assessment has been made. Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation. There is no consistent and accurate measure of food bank usage at a national level.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Urban Areas

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve air quality in British urban areas.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Latest published figures (which go up to the year 2020) show that air pollution has reduced significantly across the UK since 2010. Air quality is a devolved policy. The UK Government and the devolved administrations work collaboratively and consult on actions needed to improve air quality across the UK. In England, the Clean Air Strategy sets out our ambitious programme of action to reduce air pollution from a wide range of sources. This includes setting two stretching targets for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) under the Environment Act 2021. Our dual-target approach will tackle the highest concentrations of PM2.5, usually found in urban areas, and ensure continuous improvement across the country. Our modelling shows that achieving these targets would significantly improve public health, resulting in 214,000 fewer cases of cardiovascular disease, 56,570 fewer strokes, 70,000 fewer cases of asthma and 23,000 fewer cases of lung cancer. We have provided £880 million to help local authorities develop and implement local nitrogen dioxide (NO2) reduction plans and to support those impacted by these plans. This government is also taking action across transport by supporting the switch to electric vehicles with £2.8 billion of investment, and £2 billion in funding for cycling and walking over this Parliament.We also have recently awarded £11.6 million from Defra’s annual Air Quality Grant Scheme to 41 local authorities in England for local projects to tackle air pollution. The scheme will reopen for applications later this year, building on more than £38 million investment so far since 2010.

Noise: Urban Areas

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce noise pollution in built-up areas.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life. We have strong protections in place to avoid significant noise impacts from transport, as well as in our planning system, our environmental permitting systems, in vehicle and product standards, and noise abatement legislation. Defra helps to manage noise, mainly from transport, through the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006, which aim to reduce noise exposure in the worst affected areas. The Regulations require, on a five-year cycle: - The determination, through noise mapping, of exposure to environmental noise from major sources of road, rail and aircraft noise including large urban areas (known as agglomerations).- The adoption of Action Plans based upon the noise mapping results, which are designed to manage environmental noise and its effects, including noise reduction if necessary.- Provision of information to the public on environmental noise and its effects.The Regulations also require that the Action Plans identify ‘Important Areas’, where the 1% of the population affected by the highest noise levels is located. This approach has been taken in order to target mitigation efforts towards those at greatest risk of experiencing a significant adverse impact to health and quality of life as a result of their exposure to noise. These areas should then be prioritised for investigation and, where appropriate, action by the relevant transport authority or the relevant local authority depending on whether the noise is being caused by railways or roads. The next Round of mapping is due to be completed later this year, with Noise Action Plans for Railways, Roads and Agglomeration due to be published in 2023.

Agriculture: Environmental Impact Assessment

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications have been made under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) in each year since the enactment of the regulation; how many breaches of the regulations have been identified and prosecuted; and what assessment has been made of the area of land where changes have been made to land use without permission.

Lord Benyon: Screening applications received 2006–2021 = 3227YearApplications Received20061332007132200810120097520108720112032012271201330120143242015365201634720173002018193201916820201162021111Screening applications rejected 2006–2021 = 251Screening applications withdrawn 2006–2021 = 77Screening application decisions issued 2006-2021 = 2899 Consent applications received 2006–2021 = 13YearConsent Applications200912010120111201212013120141201512016120171201812019120212Breaches of the regulations 2006–2021 = 63During the period 2006–2021 in total there were 63 enforcement cases, covering over 362 hectares of land. Natural England (NE) has issued 17 restoration notices and accepted 32 voluntary enforcement undertakings to remediate and make good the environmental damage caused to over 270 hectares of land by breach of the Regulations. Warning letters highlighting technical or minor breaches, when serving civil sanctions would be disproportionate, were issued to offenders for breaches to raise awareness of the legislation and achieve future compliance.Two prosecutions relating to breaches of the regulations have been successfully brought:Devon (June 2021) – relating to damage to Mesolithic and Neolithic historic environment features. The land manager was successfully prosecuted for failing to comply with a Stop Notice requiring the cessation of damaging works and was fined £7,500 and costs of £24,000.Cumbria (March 2014) - relating to damage to semi-natural lowland grassland. The landowner was successfully prosecuted for failing to comply with remediation notice to remove artificial drainage pipes and was fined £2,500 and costs of £10,000 plus £250 victim surcharge.No assessment has been made, by NE, of the area of land where changes have been made to land use without permission.

Home Office

Refugees: Disability

Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to support (1) the devolved administrations, (2) local councils, and (3) regional health authorities, to ensure that disabled refugee children have access to health and education services and support.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Refugees, including children, have access to the statutory agencies who are responsible for social care and health issues for all UK residents. The Government provides funding to enable local authorities, schools and health partners to provide vulnerable refugees with a safe environment and the chance to rebuild their lives.

Visas

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the reason for the backlog in the issuing of visas in the Home Office.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office is currently prioritising Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are communicating directly with customers that applications for study, work and family visas are taking longer to process at this time. Staff are being redeployed to these visa routes, in addition we continue to onboard and train more staff, as we approach the expected summer surge in visa applications including to study in the UK.Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency), the Home Office will consider expediting specific cases. However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month in June.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government supports Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month and welcomes the wide range of organisations across the country that celebrate it each year. This includes schools, colleges, housing associations, Government departments and local authorities.

Housing: Courts

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of a specialist housing court; and when they willmake an announcement of their intentionsregarding establishing such a court.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government published a call for evidence in 2018 to better understand and improve the experience of people using courts and tribunal services in property cases and to consider the case for a housing court. A government response is being prepared and will be published shortly.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Finance

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the funding basis for those Local Enterprise Partnerships not integrated into local authorities, bearing in mind that those which are companies limited by guarantee must meet the test of being 'going concern' as contained in company law.

Lord Greenhalgh: As set out in the Local Enterprise Partnerships integration guidance published on 31 March 2022, Local Enterprise Partnerships will each receive £375,000 core funding for financial year 2022-23. No decision on core funding beyond 2022-23 has yet been made.

Leasehold: Reform

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce further legislation on leasehold reform.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government remains committed to creating a fair and just housing system that works for everyone. The Government is taking forward a comprehensive programme of reform to improve fairness and transparency in the leasehold market.The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 will come into force on 30 June. This means that landlords will be prevented from requiring a financial ground rent in most new long residential leases. We will also publish accompanying guidance for enforcement officers and consumers.This is the first part of seminal two-part legislation to implement leasehold and commonhold reforms in this Parliament.

Department of Health and Social Care

General Practitioners: Retirement

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of GPs retiring in the next few years; and what steps they are taking to address this.

Lord Kamall: No specific assessment has been made as the decision to retire can be influenced by many factors. We are working to support and increase the general practice workforce, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework for 2020/21 announced a new retention schemes and continued support for existing schemes to allow more general practitioners (GPs) to remain in the National Health Service. We are also working with the NHS and the profession to understand how GPs’ working environment can be improved.

Blood: Contamination

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, since the inquiry into contaminated blood opened in July 2018, how many payments have been awarded to the families affected; and how many families have received payment.

Lord Kamall: Since July 2018, the England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) has provided 154,380 lump sum, regular and discretionary one-off payments to beneficiaries. The EIBSS does not hold information on whether individual beneficiaries are members of the same family.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Kamall on 27 April (HL7561), what conclusions they have reached following meetings with groups representing theimmunocompromised community on how they can be involved in (1) creating, and (2) disseminating, (a) communication, and (b) guidance, to people about how to safely manage their ongoing risk.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) communicate, and (2) consult, with (a) charities, and (b) patient organisations, as part of the COVID-19 enhanced protection programme (EPP); and what format this will take.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is responsible for leading the COVID-19 enhanced protection programme (EPP); and what is the process for (1) charities, and (2) patient organisations, to be designated as stakeholders for the programme.

Lord Kamall: We regularly engage with charities and patient organisation representing and supporting immunocompromised and immunosuppressed people. Further to discussions with these groups, we are establishing an engagement forum for charities and patient organisations to discuss issues relating to the enhanced protection programme and to seek the views of these stakeholders in advance of any updates to guidance. We will continue to update these stakeholders on the enhanced protection programme through webinars, meetings and correspondence. The enhanced protection programme is a tripartite scheme administered by the Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Dame Jenny Harries, the Chief Executive of the UKHSA, is the senior responsible owner for theprogramme. There is no formal process for designating patient organisations as stakeholders for the programme.

Cabinet Office

Senior Civil Servants: Overseas Workers

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether anycivil servants in UK-based senior leadership roles have been working from abroad in each of the last three years.

Lord True: The Cabinet Office does not hold departmental information about civil servants in UK-based senior leadership roles working from abroad. In terms of departmental records, these records are not collected by the Cabinet Office, with information captured at a line manager level. Working abroad has always been by exception in the Cabinet Office and is not permitted unless there is a specific business need or under the most exceptional of circumstances (an example of which might be where an employee’s partner is a civil servant and is permanently posted abroad).

Investigation Into Alleged Gatherings on Government Premises During Covid Restrictions

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what was the purpose of the meeting between the Prime Minister and Sue Gray in May.

Lord True: The Prime Minister discussed the process and procedure on timings and publication arrangements. The findings and contents of the Second Permanent Secretary’s independent report was a matter for her, as the Prime Minister made clear in his oral statement on 25 May 2022.

Government Departments: Buildings

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to dispose of offices currently (1) owned by, (2) leased to, or (3) vacated by, civil service departments.

Lord True: The Government Estate Strategy 2018 set out our goals for better use of the estate. This included reducing the number of office buildings in which central government operates and a long-term ambition to reduce the number of offices within London (from over 65 in 2018) to no more than 20, enabled by our Places for Growth programme to relocate civil service roles from the Capital to across the UK. A new Government Property Strategy is being prepared, which continues to focus on consolidating the government estate. It is the aim of the government to critically review and seize opportunities to break a lease or dispose of a property, where possible and appropriate. Each civil service department is required to develop and maintain a strategic asset management plan which sets out their occupational needs. Summary plans are usually published on gov.uk; publication was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic but is planned to resume this financial reporting year.

Treasury

Cost of Living

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will meet with the International Monetary Fund to discuss cost of living matters (1) in the UK, and (2) across the world.

Baroness Penn: HMG is in regular communication with international and domestic stakeholders, including the IMF, regarding the state of the UK and global economies. HMG and the IMF engage in regular formal macroeconomic surveillance of the UK economy through Article IV consultations. The most recent Article IV mission to the UK took place in December 2021, with the results published in February 2022. The next formal consultation will be scheduled in due course. The Chancellor made a statement in the House of Commons on 26th May providing £15bn to support families with the cost of living. Combined with already announced plans, support HMG has provided for cost of living pressures in the UK totals £37bn or 1.5% of GDP. Most recently, the Chancellor attended the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings in Bonn on 19th-20th May, discussing the global challenge of inflation with other G7 members and international organisations, including the IMF. Global economic coordination will continue this year, including through further G7 and G20 meetings with the IMF in attendance. The UK continues to play a leading role in supporting vulnerable countries, including through its commitments at the IMF where the UK has pledged SDR 5bn to the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust; which provides zero interest loans to low-income countries in need.

Pensions

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theFinancial Conduct Authority has (1) collected, and (2) published, data in any of the years since 2015 showing how many members of contract-based pension schemes have fully withdrawn their pension fund, paying more than 20 per cent in tax; and if so, how many of these had no other pension provision.

Baroness Penn: This issue is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are operationally independent from the Government. These questions have therefore been passed to the FCA who will respond by letter. Copies of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Money

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who use cash in transactions; and whether this number is (1) increasing, or (2) decreasing.

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of (1) inhabitants, and (2) tourists, to withdraw cash whilst in the Isles of Scilly archipelago.

Baroness Penn: The Government recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash.UK Finance’s UK Payment Markets report publishes figures annually on cash use in the UK. Cash remained the second most frequently used payment method in the UK as of 2020, representing almost a fifth (17%) of all total payments made. This is a reduction from 56% a decade earlier and 23% in 2019. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) publishes data on access to cash coverage across the UK. As of the third quarter of 2021, the FCA reported that nearly 96% of the UK population are within 2km of a free-to-use cash access point. The Government intends to introduce legislation on cash access as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill when Parliamentary time allows. The Government recently published a summary of responses to the Access to Cash consultation, setting out the Government’s planned approach to legislating for access to cash. The Government’s planned legislation will ensure that people can continue to use cash in their day-to-day lives, and that local businesses can continue accepting cash.

EU Budget: Contributions

Baroness Fox of Buckley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK’s financial settlement with the EU is paid into the same budget as member state contributions; and whether the financial settlement is ringfenced for specific EU spending projects.

Baroness Penn: Payments made by the UK to the EU for the financial settlement are specifically related to the Financial Provisions section of the Withdrawal Agreement. The amounts provided are in relation to outstanding financial commitments between the UK and the EU which arose out of the UK’s participation in the EU budget as a Member State, broader aspects of its EU membership, and under the Transition Agreement. Payments provided to the EU by the UK under Article 148 of the Withdrawal Agreement, the article summarising the yearly amount payable under Financial Settlement, are entered into the EU General Budget by the European Commission as ‘Special Contributions and Refunds’, under Chapter 6 6 of the Revenue of the EU Budget. Payments assigned to the General Budget are not specified for ringfenced expenditure.

Hospitality Industry: Business Rates

Lord Smith of Hindhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much money hospitality businesses saved in business rate reductions as a result of COVID-19 financial assistance in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.

Lord Smith of Hindhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how much money hospitality businesses are forecast to save from the 50 per cent business rate reduction during the 2022–23 financial year.

Baroness Penn: Businesses in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sector will receive a tax cut worth almost £1.7 billion in 2022-23. This builds on over £16 billion of business rates support already provided to the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors throughout the pandemic, including a £10 billion business rates holiday for 2020-21 and a scheme worth £6 billion in 2021-22.

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review their decision not to impose a windfall tax on energy companiesin response to the increased cost of living.

Baroness Penn: The Government is introducing the Energy Profits Levy, a new 25% surcharge on the extraordinary profits the oil and gas sector is making. The new Energy Profits Levy will raise around £5 billion over the next year which will go towards supporting people through the new cost of living measures announced by the Chancellor. As part of the levy, a new tax relief is being introduced to encourage firms to invest in the UK. The new 80% Investment Allowance means businesses will overall get a 91p tax saving for every £1 they invest.

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to levy a windfall tax on oil and gas firms throughout the UK to address rising levels of fuel poverty.

Baroness Penn: The Government is introducing the Energy Profits Levy, a new 25% surcharge on the extraordinary profits the oil and gas sector is making. The new Energy Profits Levy will raise around £5 billion over the next year which will go towards supporting people through the new cost of living measures announced by the Chancellor. As part of the levy, a new tax relief is being introduced to encourage firms to invest in the UK. The new 80% Investment Allowance means businesses will overall get a 91p tax saving for every £1 they invest.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Chelsea Football Club: Sales

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue a progress report on their role in the sale of Chelsea Football Club given that its licence to continue operating ends this month.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Her Majesty’s Government has always been clear that a quick sale of the club is in the best interests of the club, its fans and the wider football community.Following extensive work, we are now satisfied that the full proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned individual and the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has issued a licence to enable a sale.